Author: enchanted nightingale

Beta: pussycatadamah

Disclaimer:The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I merely use them in my plot for fun.

Chapter 3

Two weeks after Beltane...

Diagon Alley was busier than a bee hive and Lucius Malfoy sneered in distaste at this. He hated large crowds as people kept bumping into him. The large crowd was unusual and a completely unwelcome sight, especially on a day he wanted to take a stroll in the alley. He usually chose shopping in other magical markets, preferably on the continent but he was not feeling up to a Portkey trip. Hence the use of the Malfoy coach after a century of abandonment in the family stables. He was after a couple of books that had never graced his family's library before. So he braved the trip to Flourish and Blott's. As luck and fate would have it, that day he had the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one spell. Because in the middle of the busy shop, he came face to face with none other than Harry Potter.

Confrontations were not his thing. Prior experience had proven that things rarely ended well in confrontations. Still there was no way to ignore the man he had bumped face to face with in the middle of the busiest store in Diagon Alley.

"Mr. Malfoy," the green eyed wizard greeted. He tried to fight his rising blush as a torrent of memories came over him. Who knew that 'knowing' another person so intimately could be so embarrassing? It had not happened before with Harry.

The aristocrat was aware the way the younger man's gaze travelled all over his body, lingering on all the proper places. Gloved hands flexed around the cane that now housed Lucius' newest wand.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry swallowed a lump that formed on his throat. "Nice to see you, sir. Have a nice day," he said before walking past the blond man.

"A moment, Mister Potter."

The younger of the two halted. He tried ignoring his growing nervousness while turning around to face Malfoy again.

"This is too public a place," Malfoy continued. "There's a place close by we could use, if you would come along."

"Is it about that night? Harry asked.

Lucius gave a short nod and the younger wizard sighed shortly before agreeing.

"I'll just pay for these," he eyed the few fairy tale books he was carrying. "Then we can leave."

The blond aristocrat followed Harry to the counter, his own plans of book shopping forgotten. Afterwards he led them in Diagon Alley and to a shop called 'Indigo Scales', a coffee shop/ bar/ restaurant that catered to the wealthier than average witch and wizard. The interior was made with dark cherry wood panels and discreet lighting, no paintings whatsoever. They entered a long corridor where hushed whispers reached Harry's ears. There were many doors and not one person in sight.

"There's an empty booth," Lucius pointed at an open door half way in the long corridor.

Harry entered first and claimed a seat in a booth that took up the space of that tiny, makeshift room. For such a cramped place it certainly looked comfortable. The leather made sofa and the spotless, almost polished to shine table made the small room cosy. Lucius slid into a seat across from Harry and the doorway that led to the room was sealed closed magically, giving them the privacy they needed. Harry was quite impressed by this.

Then two menus popped into existence before each of them.

"Anything to drink?" Lucius asked.

Harry realized it was like the dinner at the Triwizard Yule Ball. And as no matter how much he wanted to get drunk, he knew it was unwise to be vulnerable in front of a Malfoy, never mind the fact that it was still too early. The conversation was bound to be serious and Harry chose a comfort drink.

"Hot chocolate with a scoop of whipped cream," he said before tapping his choice on the menu with a finger.

"Same," Lucius declared. "With a touch of brandy."

Their orders appeared before them with a soft pop.

"So," Harry broached the subject first. "You wanted us to talk, privately."

"Yes, no one else knows what took place during Beltane."

Harry focused on the chocolate before him. He would really, really hate to have Lucius know that his estranged sister in law was actually quite familiar with the happenings during Beltane. Now that was the perfect recipe for disaster.

"When the Hunt started the wild magic that was free in the air that day searched for the most available and compatible vessels," Lucius spoke like he had the text book before him. "A congregation like the one we were part of and others that were probably happening across the globe were receivers of this. The ritualistic offerings of wine and food, the chanting, it helped."

Harry gulped down some of the hot chocolate. It was divine and the cream made it even sweeter. He focused back on Lucius after his small 'pick-me-up'.

"So that was what I felt? Wild magic taking control over mine? It felt like I was drunk or high or knocked out with one of Madam Pomfrey's potions," Harry commented.

"It is a high. Of the best kind," the older wizard admitted. "The way power rushes through your veins, making the blood hum, heightening all your senses, your own magic running across your skin and that primal hunger, that ancient and most basic drive." His grey eyes were almost glowing at the mere memory of that night.

Harry could not take his eyes off of Lucius. "And the outlet had to be sex?"

The smirk on Lucius' face was almost vicious. "Magic works in mysterious ways and no one can hope to predict them."

"Tell me about it," Harry grumbled as he played with the cup in front of him. "It happened. We slept together. It's over. Can we just forget about it?"

"If only things were so simple," Lucius told him. "That was your first hunt. As a first timer you probably don't know that things change now."

"Change? How?" Harry said with alarm.

Lucius drew his wand. At the wide green eyes he elaborated. "I'm going to change the colour of the cup," he warned.

As he cast the magic, Harry felt a shiver down his spine.

The blond was now giving him a gleeful smirk. "Delicious, isn't it?"

"I-I felt your magic when you cast," Harry muttered. He blinked as he had another thought. "You would feel mine as well?"

Lucius nodded. "Though only if we are close enough."

"Thank Merlin!" Harry exhaled in relief.

"Indeed," was Lucius' bland response.

"The reason you wanted to talk to me was this?" Harry asked. He was finally beginning to relax. "So, is this permanent?"

"Not quite Mister Potter," Lucius told the younger boy. "I wanted to make you understand. And no, the sensitivity will go in another week or so."

Harry sank back in the leather couch. There was most certainly something more serious than this new found sensitivity to each other's magic then. Harry studied the aristocrat across from him. Lucius Malfoy had to be at least as old as Andromeda (well, maybe a bit younger) but he did not look his age. Magic was to blame, Harry knew, and not those cosmetic glamour spells either. Lucius Malfoy had looked awful during Voldemort's second rise to power and during those long drawn out trials that followed. But that night of Beltane he had looked sinfully handsome. Today was no different. Still, no matter how handsome or elegant the blond was, he did not resemble the composed aristocratic wizard that Harry remembered since that first meeting at Flourish and Blott's.

"Something else happened during the Hunt," Harry deduced. "Something big, bigger than this magic sensitivity we have going on."

Lucius pursed his thin lips together and nodded. He brought his own mug of chocolate to his lips before pausing a bit.

"I should not have ordered it with brandy," he muttered.

That sentence nudged at Harry's mind. The green eyed wizard studied the one sitting across from him. The blond certainly looked discomfited.

"You don't have to tell me unless you want to," he told Lucius.

Lucius gave a rather inelegant snort. "I could just show you later, but that would be crude and cowardly."

Harry bit his tongue to keep a childish comeback as to why Slytherin's (even former ones) should not be that concerned with cowardice as it was second nature to them.

"But this other thing... Mister Potter you need to understand that during a Hunt, and I have attended a number, I get paired up often and I usually am the hunter, not the prey. And I've never met a strong witch or wizard. The pull had never before been so... insistent and..."

"Savage?" Harry offered.

"Quite."

Concern flashed in Harry's face. "I did not hurt you, did I?"

Lucius shook his head. "Not really. I liked it rough. What I meant to say is that usually I could resist the pull when I did not like the partner Magic chose for me. And when I gave in, I had enough of my wits to actually cast the proper charms.

The green eyed wizard had that thought again that something was too familiar about this yet he still was unable to pin point what that was.

"What kind of charms?" he almost dreaded asking.

"Contraceptives," Lucius responded.

Harry felt his train of thought derail and then crash. He was left staring at the blond wizard sitting across the table from him.

"You are saying you are pregnant."

End of chapter